 You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
How do they hold up as a front tyre in very rough/rocky terrain? How do the sidewalls hold up when it's really rough and what is the Trailstar compound comparable to?
Ime, trailstar doesn't stand up well to long, or even medium term use on rocky terrain, but they do work brilliantly for a short period of time.
On more general soily trails with rock they do last better, but I still managed to ride a 26 trailstar Albert into oblivion in about half a summer season. Knobs tearing off, and undercut all over the carcass.
Personally, for my riding in dry conditions, I can get enough grip from pacestar and it lasts way longer. I save my trailstar tyres for winter slippery-ness.
It's a good tyre but pretty mud-oriented... On hard stuff it's less grippy than an allroundery tyre would be, just because of the tread pattern, and draggy- but then, that's not the job it's supposed to do so fair enough. Trailstar is a pretty typical intermediatey rubber- it can be bad for tearing up but the Magic Mary seems to hold up better than other schwalbe tyres, though maybe that's because I only generally bring it out for really soggy conditions so it gets an easier ride.
I like it, and in the conditions it's best at (basically really sloppy winter enduro style stuff) I don't know anything better.
As the guys above have said the Magic Mary excels in the loam, mud, wet root, wet rock situations that it was designed for. I've had mine out on big mountain loops up at Torridon recently and it performed really well in the numerous rocky conditions that I encountered. Having said that if you ride rocky terrain a lot then I don't think it would last very long due to the nature of the tread pattern. I prefer a 2.5 Maxxis Minion up front for big mountain days to be honest. Also find the super tacky compound that Maxxis use to be a little more sticky than the Trailstar compound. The Magic Mary is definitely not a trail centre tyre either, it's total overkill for that.
Thanks. I live somewhere that is seriously greasy, muddy and rooty and am looking for a front tyre that will do what a Baron does but bigger volume with cut resistance. I am a Minion EXO or 2 ply front and rear for the Lakes person but often can't be arsed to change my tyres once the winter tyres eare on and wondered if the Magic Mary front would in the Snakeskin rather than SG version would cope for the Lakes.
Do you all find that the tread wears out even on the front? I wouldn't use it for a rear.
I think it's a bit different to the Baron tbh- better with the slop, a little worse at the wet roots and rocks, quite a lot worse at everything else. Little bit bigger volume. Cut resistance, I can't say, the Baron always gives the impression of being a puncture waiting to happen but it's always worked out OK for me- the sides of mine are all mauled, even some loose threads but they keep going.
It's kind of a ridiculous option but the Der Baron 2.5 is a bigger, tougher Baron. Very heavy (about 1300g I think!) very draggy, mentally grippy. Still not as good as a Mary in really wet orrible stuff as it lacks the penetration but it's like cheating on more mixed terrain, your roots-and-rocks-in-mud. Impractical most of the time tbh
I think what we are saying is please Continental, can you make us a bigger volume Baron with EXO or 2 ply side wall versions!
I know what you mean about the sidewalls, my Barons look like white thread is all that's left but the tread is 18 months old and still perfectly useable.
Oh well, maybe just get another Baron for this winter and see what the Projekt Baron turns out like.
Do you all find that the tread wears out even on the front? I wouldn't use it for a rear.
No, IMO anyway.
The side knobs all started to tear off before the centre's wore down.